It Goes Like This
by WitchyGirl99
Summary: He sees her, chatting happily while she wiped down counters and made faces at her friends. She was beautiful. Exciting. Compelling in a way that made his throat close. And so he looks away, back down at his laptop and the blinking cursor in his document. He writes instead. InuKag.


**Day 4 of the 12 Days of Witchyness**

**Massive thank you to the anon that requested: someone with anxiety falls in love with someone extremely adventureous. This...isn't exactly that, but I hope you love it all the same.**

**Warnings: One of the main characters experiences general social anxiety throughout the story. Reach out to me if you'd like to discuss before reading.**

* * *

**It Goes Like This**

* * *

It goes like this.

The library is quiet. There are taps on keyboards and hard-pressed scribbles on paper. It's exam season and the place is packed. Every level. Every seat. Every cubicle. Friends and peers have gathered, clustering together to make cue cards and study guides.

Inuyasha sits in the corner. There is a girl to his right, a boy across from him. He does not know them but it doesn't matter; real estate in a library this full is a rare diamond indeed.

The girl across from him groans, burying her face in her textbook. Slowly lifting her face minutes later, orange highlighter is streaked along her jaw.

Inuyasha is surrounded but he knows none of them.

He isn't alone.

But he is lonely.

* * *

It goes like this.

Exams are over but he doesn't feel any better. The school year dissipates, the final year on the far horizon. He's twenty years old and he has no plan. Well, no firm plan. Nothing that would make his half-brother happy, anyways. There's always the family business but Inuyasha's never cared for it. He's not into sales. Not into talking to people and shaking hands and making deals.

He'd much rather sit, and think, and write stories. His laptop is his constant companion, only second to a battered moleskin journal. For all that he doesn't know people, he sees them and imagines. The 'what ifs' become less hard to wish for when it's not him directly asking.

That's what characters are for.

* * *

It goes like this.

When the school season is over, Inuyasha forces himself to leave his apartment every day. With school, the task seems so much simpler. He has to go to class to learn and receive a grade, so he does. But without a focus, a purpose, Inuyasha feels nothing but lost in a sea of bodies that are nothing more than student IDs.

He's held jobs off and on, but it's hard. He can talk but he doesn't want to.

Or, well, maybe it's the opposite.

Inuyasha scowls, pushing his way through the door of his favourite coffee shop. He tries hard not to look towards the counter, at least not right away. Be less obvious.

But his eyes automatically go to her.

_Kagome._

* * *

It goes like this.

He meets her his second week into the school year. She's vibrant – there's no other word to describe her and Inuyasha has tried. She smiles and blushes and says kind things. She remembers his name and his order and always asks how he's doing.

Here's the thing: Inuyasha is lonely but he's not…socially awkward. Or maybe he is. It's hard to say. He grew up in a big house with a half-brother that hated him and a caretaker that tried but just wasn't his mom.

He just doesn't know what to say to people and the moment he can tell he _should _say something, it's like— Something within him freezes. Terrified.

But he's not.

He's not.

That's what he tells himself.

* * *

It goes like this.

"Hey! I haven't seen you in a while!" Kagome exclaims, smiling at him. Her eyes are dark brown and beautiful, captivating.

Five different answers pop into his head, all of them friendly and inviting for conversation. It's not what comes out. "Exams," Inuyasha replies, shrugging and trying to remove the weight on his chest and shoulders that won't go away. He tugs at the strap of his backpack, his laptop safely stowed inside. "But they're over now."

"Lucky," Kagome mumbles, scribbling on the cup what his drink order is. Instead of a name, she writes a smiley face. "I still have one more to go. Thursday. I can't wait to be free."

"Good luck." He wants to say more.

He doesn't.

* * *

It goes like this.

He stays at the coffee shop, huddling into a corner with a small table and only two chairs. It's by an outlet and away from the window, so the cold winter doesn't seep into his bones. It's the best spot in the whole place so he sets up his laptop, his notebook, and his pen.

With a spare glance, Inuyasha watches Kagome laugh with one of her co-workers, wiping down the counter. Two girls enter the coffee shop and instantly she's got the cloth away, smile on her face and ready to tackle whatever they give her.

She knows how to communicate. She's genuinely the brightest person in the whole room.

Inuyasha looks back down at his laptop. He begins writing.

* * *

It goes like this.

Kagome's not there and Inuyasha has to grunt at some boy with floppy red hair to get his order. He sits in his corner and tries not to feel disoriented. Inuyasha likes these bits of his routine; it feels calming, which is probably not healthy.

For a long while, he glares at his laptop, unable to write a word.

"You're here!" Kagome grins at him, walks right up to his table. "I missed you," she says, then flushes before stammering, "when you came in, I mean."

"That's okay," he replies, unsure, about to continue when Kagome steps back, making excuses about work. She disappears in less than a minute.

He goes back to writing. The words practically fly off the page.

* * *

It goes like this.

That…moment changes things. Inuyasha doesn't understand how but he can see it in the way his main character knows exactly where an attacker will physically strike.

She doesn't say hello when he comes in the next time, so Inuyasha braces himself and grabs firmly onto the straps of his backpack. There may be holes, now.

"Hi Kagome," he greets. It sounds half-strangled.

The black-haired girl seems to startle, shuffles, and then slowly her bitten lips break into her patented smile, bit-by-bit until it's an all-out grin. As it should be.

Inuyasha feels relief, terror and happiness all in one.

"The usual?" she asks.

"Please."

She writes his order, adds a smiley face, and then says, "I go on break at eleven."

* * *

It goes like this.

Inuyasha is terrified; it's the only explanation for the anxiety that's latched onto every part of his body. What is he going to say to her? What would they talk about? God, she was going to realize how stilted and hard conversation was for him and that would be _it_. Over. Done.

He almost leaves six times before eleven comes around. The only reason he stays is because, deep down, Inuyasha needs to know. About her, about her life, about what makes her smile. Kagome has always been fascinating, a kind of beauty best taken in from afar. But up close?

Inuyasha doesn't know. He wants to find out, even if this ruins everything else.

It's eleven o'clock. He doesn't leave.

* * *

It goes like this.

"It's so _slow _today." Those are Kagome's opening words. She sidles up to his table and pulls out the other chair to sit in it. Her head is propped up by her hand, and that dark chocolate gaze is firmly set on him.

Hesitantly, Inuyasha closes his laptop. With the lid down, it feels like there are no more shields around to protect him. He looks around the shop and realizes he's the only one there. "I prefer it this way."

"I never noticed," Kagome drawls and then laughs at his expression. "You're not exactly subtle. When a big group walks in or the place gets busy, you scowl hard enough it scares old ladies."

"I do not."

Kagome hums. "Liar."

* * *

It goes like this.

Fifteen minutes have never passed by so quickly. Inuyasha learns that Kagome has a younger brother, and lives with her mother and grandfather. She's a year younger than him and has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has a second job serving at a local restaurant to help her mother with bills, and loves her cat.

Inuyasha takes it all in, nodding in the right places and asking more questions when she's done.

At the end of her break, Kagome flushes again and laughs. "Oh my god, this is so embarrassing. I talked this whole time. That's—" She winces.

"It was good," Inuyasha assures her.

"Yeah?" She doesn't look convinced.

"Yeah."

Kagome bites her lip.

* * *

It goes like this.

Inuyasha doesn't actually visit the coffee shop every day though he finds that he wants to. He likes Kagome. That's always been evident. But now it's— It's real in a way that it wasn't before. An infatuation turned dizzying because instead of looking at her from afar, he's now up close.

For some reason, she keeps spending time with him. She encourages him to talk and Inuyasha doesn't know what to do.

"What kind of story?" Kagome asks, genuinely curious after Inuyasha forced the fact that he _writes novels _past his lips.

He shrugs, tampers down on the initial rush talking about his stories create. "I'm not sure yet."

"Well," she murmurs cheerfully, "let me know when you find out."

* * *

It goes like this.

"It's a space novel," Inuyasha says, out of the blue and for no reason other than the fact he'd been thinking of telling her all night. He had lied the last time he saw her; he knew _everything _about the book he was writing. It was simply the thought of trying to explain, of showing his cards to someone that was still essentially a stranger. His half-brother had always mocked him for his writing, saying that his heart was on his sleeve the entire time.

But this is Kagome. It would be different.

It _is _different. He sees it in the way she watches him, eyes focused while he explains the space shuttle they travel on and the galaxies they visit.

* * *

It goes like this.

On a random Friday afternoon, it all comes crashing down.

Kagome's seated across from him on her break, like always, tapping her fingers against the table. "So, there's that light festival for the holidays going on at the Square. Would you want to go with me?"

She's not looking at him. Inuyasha doesn't know what he would do if she _was_. She's asking him on a date. That means more of this, but also more talking. Which he wants to do but—

"It's okay if you don't!" she blurts out. "I just thought it'd be like…an adventure."

Inuyasha stares.

"Like your characters go on. Only instead of some amazing galaxy stars, ours are…lightbulbs."

How the hell can he say no _now_?

* * *

It goes like this.

Inuyasha is nervous. Unable to think clearly, he dials the only number that's important and waits while it rings.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku's voice is pleased and boisterous, and his eyes twinkle even on the camera. "How are you, man? I miss you!"

"Yeah," Inuyasha replies, unable to say all the things he wants to. His best friend gets it anyways. He always does. "I need your help, but you can't be an asshole about it, okay?"

"Me?" he asks, sounding wounded. "I would never!"

Snorting, Inuyasha simply raises his eyebrows at his friend.

"Fine! Fine. I promise. What can I help with?"

"I have a date and I have no idea what to do."

"Holy shit," Miroku whispers.

"Don't—"

"_Holy shit_!"

* * *

It goes like this.

He shouldn't be nervous, but he is. He stands in front their meeting spot, at the café. He's early. Fifteen whole minutes. His breath puffs in the cold air.

"You're here!" Kagome skips over, smiling. For a moment, Inuyasha forgets why he's nervous at all. It's just her. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Just got here," he lies. "Ready?"

"Definitely. I've never been to a light festival before." Kagome smiles. "Hopefully it's not too crowded."

He doesn't like crowds. He doesn't like the pressing of bodies and the constant noise and the indecision that comes when trying to figure out what to do.

But Kagome wraps her hand around his arm and huddles close.

And maybe… Maybe this he can do.

* * *

It goes like this.

It is crowded. There are people _everywhere_. It feels claustrophobic and insane and everyone is trying to take pictures good enough for social media. Inuyasha is boggled by it for the first ten minutes, until he gets a look at Kagome's face.

She's entranced. She takes everything in, every shining light and statue. He can't look away.

"It's beautiful," she whispers.

He doesn't stop looking at her. "Yeah."

She catches him staring and grins. He feels awkward for three seconds until she asks him, "Tell me: are any of your fictional worlds like this?"

"No," he answers. But he thinks, based on her expression, he might have to make one now.

The night is a magical, wonderful adventure. Crowds and all.

* * *

It goes like this.

Kagome asks him on little adventures all the time, after that. Skating. Getting hot chocolate. Tobogganing. Building a snowman in a park. Things he would never, ever do on his own. Things that seem preposterous beforehand.

Things that terrify him enough that there's a panic, every single time he's about to open his front door and go to meet her. Because the outside world can be mean, he knows. Just because Kagome shines brightly, doesn't mean the shadows disappear.

He breathes. Hand on the doorknob, he thinks of every reason not to go: the people, the stares, the questions, whispers, the things that could go wrong, the things that could go _horribly wrong—_

And yet every time, he opens the door.

* * *

It goes like this.

"My friends want to meet you. They think I'm making you up."

The statement shocks him, making him blink up from his laptop screen. Kagome's on break and she's been telling him about her weekend. Somehow, that landed the conversation on friends.

She smiles at him though, gently, like she knows. "I told them to hold their horses. They can be terrifying on a good day. I need you to like me more before introducing you to _that_."

And maybe it's because he knows her now, the little quirks and smiles and stares. But this smile is a little off, a little worried. Does she think…he doesn't like her enough?

"I'll meet them," he says. Stupidly. Blindly.

And then internally screams.

* * *

It goes like this.

"Let me get this straight," Sango says, half of her face on the phone screen. Miroku takes up the other half. "You voluntarily agreed to meet her friends. _You_."

"She was worried," Inuyasha whines because it's been five hours since their discussion and his heart rate hasn't calmed down still. Is breathing always this hard?

"You must really like her."

"Well duh," Miroku adds, unhelpfully. "But don't worry, she clearly likes you a lot. You'll be fine. You're a good guy."

"That's shit advice."

He laughs. "Yeah, well, you can yell at me in person next week. We'll be back for the holidays."

Inuyasha grins. He can't help it. "Yeah?"

"Yes!" Sango answers. "We can meet her too!"

Oh god. No.

* * *

It goes like this.

The restaurant isn't crowded; Kagome's no fool and despite his repeated affirmations, she can see it in his eyes that meeting her friends is causing him anxiety. It's the little things: easy distractions from writing, constant questions about them, constant questions about their plans that night…

Inuyasha almost didn't leave his house.

But he did, and he's here, and Kagome's holding his hand as they make their way to a booth in the back. Her three friends will arrive in about ten minutes or so. Inuyasha's not counting down the minutes, but he is.

"Thank you," Kagome says once they're seated. She pats him on the thigh.

"For?"

"Doing this. Being here. It's no small feat." She smiles like it's okay.

* * *

It goes like this.

Yuka, Eri and Ayumi are _a lot_. Well, Yuka and Eri are. Ayumi is quiet and friendly and seems to be on his team the moment she lays eyes on him. It's more comforting than he thought it would be.

"So what's your major?"

"Creative writing," he answers. Did he make it sound like a question? He hopes not.

"You should hear some of the stories he's writing, it's insane," Kagome adds.

Ayumi smiles at him. "That's so nice. It must take a lot to create your own characters and story lines. I've never been good at it."

"That's because you're a musical prodigy," Yuka replies, which then leads them all to discuss things that don't concern him.

Seriously, thank god.

* * *

It goes like this.

It's getting late and Inuyasha can tell Kagome wants to leave by the number of times she yawns. Yuka, Eri and Ayumi are still chatting happily away, even while paying the bill.

"It was so nice to finally meet you," Ayumi says then, smiling kindly at him. "Sorry we monopolized the conversation."

"We tend to do that," Eri agrees, looking sheepish.

"It's okay," he replies. It is. They were nice to him and looked his way when talking and waited for his thoughts on things. They were kind.

The night hasn't been as terrifying, mortifying or as horrible as he thought it would be.

"Not a single complaint," Yuka states, clearly impressed. "He's a keeper."

Kagome laughs. "Yeah, he definitely is."

* * *

It goes like this.

The night air is brisk on their faces when they exit the restaurant. Her friends all disappear within minutes but Kagome loops her hand around his arm and asks to walk. It's mostly a comfortable silence but Inuyasha can't help but steal glances at her.

Under a streetlamp, Kagome stops. She looks up at him. "You're amazing, you know?"

"That's—"

"I know you were worried, but you didn't have to be. You're like, the archetypical good guy. The one that saves the day and wins the affection of everyone and has a pet dragon."

"What do you even _read_?" he asks, horrified.

"Kiss me, good guy," Kagome whispers.

And he can't say no. So he does.

It begins to snow.

* * *

It goes like this.

Kagome waves at him excitedly when he enters. She furtively looks around the empty shop before grabbing his jacket and pulling him in close. It's the sweetest, quickest brush of lips, but it sets him on fire anyways.

"Hi," she breathes, grinning with it.

He exhales. "When are you off?"

"Three, unless we get really busy. Why?"

And he had expected to feel scared, that pressure right back on him like it never left. But instead it's just a sort of trembling, like anticipation curling in his gut. "My friends are back and I wanted to see if…" A little more fear, unnatural and horrible. But this is Kagome.

And she's smiling, small, just for him.

"If you'd want to come?"

* * *

It goes like this.

It's maybe not a grandiose adventure, not like the ones the characters go on in his book, but it's thrilling all the same. He wonders if this is how it feels, running into potential danger but willing to do so anyways because of someone you lov— _Like_. Someone you like a lot.

He's not Kagome. He can't do everything that she does.

But when she reaches out for his hand – whether to brave a crowd, or to see friends at a restaurant, or to skate at the park with strangers all around them – he'll reach back. He'll hold her and not let go, despite the fear of where they may be heading.

Because with Kagome, these are adventures worth going on.

* * *

And so it goes.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed. Feedback is love.**


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